Assembly of engine-and-compressor units



Aug' 25 1947- A. KALlTxNsKY 2,426,309

` ASSEIBLY OFYENGIN-AHD-COUPRESSOR UNITS med Jury 2:5. 1943 4 sheets-sheet 1 up. f

INVENTOR y "ATTOR'NEY' Aug- 26 1947 A. K Mrrmsmr4 2,426,309 ASSEMBLY oFNGINE-AnD-courmsson UNITS Fileduuly 23, 1945 4 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR (hw K ATTORNEY Aug 26 1947 A. KALlTlNsKY 2,426,309

ASSEMBLY 0F ENGINE-AND-COHPRESSR UNITS Filed Jui 23, 1943 A 4 sheets-sheet :s

N a H INVENTOR www Kum ATTORNEY f A. KALITINSKY Aug. 26, 1947.

` ASSEMBLY 0F ENGIllE-AND-COMPRESSOR UNITS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 23. 1945 Will Ill llll FIG.

lNvENTOR Ouuu Kuki( ATTORNEY turns the piston assemblies.

Patented ug' 26., 1947 Anal-w xaminsky, Eagieviue,

United Aircraft Corporation, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Conn., assigner to East Hartford,

Application July 23, 1943, Serial No. 495,920

This invention relates to the assembly of a free-piston engine-and-compressor unit.

Where weight of the unit is of prime importance, the connecting structure by which the several parts of the unit are held together must be as light in weight as possible. An o bject of this invention is to provide a light weight structure forconnecting the compressors together and to the engine.

A yfeature of this invention is an arrangement of the interconnecting means between the opposed compressors of a free-piston engine-andcompressor unit so that the attaching means for the individual compressors will be in line with the means that hold the opposed compressors together. r

Another featureof the invention is the use of a plurality of turnbuckles for urging the opposed compressors endwise into predetermined position.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims and from the yaccompanying drawingsA which illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Fig'. 1 is a sectional view through the unit.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the unit of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view through one of the turnbuckles.

Fig. 4 is an inverted sectional view substantially along line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The unit shown includes an engine cylinder I having reciprocating pistons I2 and I4 to which compressor pistons I6 and I-B in cylinders 20 and 22 are integrally'connected. Sleeves 24 and 26 attached to the compressor pistons complete the reciprocating piston assemblies. The sleeves in combination with stationary pistons 28 and 30v form air spring cylinders.

The piston assemblies are movedv apart by the burning of fuel injected into engine cylinder Ill by one or more devices 32. Air compressed in the air spring cylinders on the power stroke re.-

The assemblies are maintained always at equal distances from the center of the engine cylinder by a linkage which may include racks 34 meshing with a pinion 3B.

Intake manifold 38 conducts air to intake valves 40 through which air alternately enters opposite ends of the compressor cylinders. The corripressed air leaves the cylinders through discharge valves 42, also at opposite ends of the compressor cylinders, and passes through scavenge manifold 44 through ports 46 and 48 which are uncovered by pistons I2 and I4 at the end of the '4 claims. (ci. e30-5s) in a. threaded boss 14 through the engine cylinder and exhaust 50 and 52 into exhaust manifold 54.

Each compressor cylinder has outer and inner ports Vheads 5E and z58 interconnected by the cylinder wall 60. The engine cylinder is mounted within a housing 62 with which the inner heads 58 engage. The engine cylinder I0 may be axially located Within the housing 62, as described in the copending Ledwith application,l Serial No. 486,622,

dated May 11, 1943, now Patent No. 2,412,344, dated June 5, 1946.

The inner heads 58 of the opposed compressor cylinders 20 and 22 are interconnected by a. series of bolts 64, Fig. 4, each constituting a turnbuckle. These bolts when turned move lthe opposed compressors towards each other to hold flanges 66 and 68 on the inner heads against shoulders 1u and 12 on housing 62. Each bolt 64 is threaded at vone end to engage in the vinner head o! compressor cylinder. 22. The other end of bolt 64 is headed and fits in a recess in a boss in the inner head of compressor cylinder 2li. A threaded ring 16 in the recess engages the underside of the head of the bolt and holds it in position, al-

o. nm-- n...., mamme air to be blown 55 though allowing the bolt to be turned by a atsided section 18 between its ends. When the compressors are placed in position at the opposite ends of the engine cylinder, as shown, the several bolts when tightened hold the heads securely against the central housing 62 and hold the opposed compressors 20 and -22 in predetermined relation to each other.

` Cylinder head may be held in place on cylinder wall yB0 Iby right and left threads 80 and 82 at opposite ends of wall engaging cooperating threads on heads 56 and 58. 'Ihe cylinder `wall then constitutes a. turnbuckle by which the cylinder heads are connected.

The axis of each turnbuekie or boit yt4 is in the cylinder defined by the pitch circles of threads 80 and 82 which hold the compressor heads together. Thus any axial `forces are transmitted by direct tension without developing any bending moments on the parts of the unit.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited tothe specific embodiment herein illustrated and-described, but may be used in `other ways without departure from its spirit as deiined bythe following claims.

I claim: i l

l. In a compressor assembly, opposed compressor cylinders having inner and a housing between said inner heads and holding 5G and -58 for each compressor outer heads,

' enslne 2. In a compressor assembly, an engine cylinder,`

a housing extending around and supporting said cylinder. opposed compressor cylinders aty 4. In a compressor assembly, an engine cylinder, a housing extending around and supporting said engine cylinder, opposed compressor cylinders at opposite ends of the engine cylinder and in axial alignment therewith, each of said compressor cylinders including opposed cylinder` heads and an interconnecting cylinder wall, the inner cylinder heads ot the compressor cylinders engaging said housing, recesses in the inner compressor with its ends secured in said opposite ends oi the engine cylinder land in axial alignment therewith, each oi' said compressor cylinders including opposed cylinder heads and an interconnecting cylinder heads oi the compressor cylinders engaging with and held in spaced relation bysaid housing, and several bolts extending pressor heads and holding said compressor cylinders in position against the housing, each b'olt having its head mounted in a recess in the inner between said inner coin-` is wall, the innercylinder cylinder head of one compressor cylinder and having threads at the opposite'end engaging with the inner head of the other compressor cylinder.

3. In a compressor assembly, an engine cylinder, a housing extending around and'supporting said engine cylinder, opposed compressor cylinders at opposite ends of the engine cylinder and in axial alignment therewith, each of said compressor cylinders including opposed cylinder heads and an interconnecting cylinder wall, the inner cylinder heads of the compressor cylinders engaging said housing, and several bolts extending between said inner compressor heads and holding said comeach bolt having its head mounted in a recess in the inner cylinder head of one compressor cylinder and having threads at the opposite end engaging with the inner head of the other compressor cylinder, said bolt also having means between its ends by which it may be turned.

35 pressor cylinder in position against the housing.

cylinder heads, and a number of turnbuckles, each recesses and extending between the inner heads of the opposed compressor cylinders for moving the compressor cylinders into position against the housing and for holding the compressor cylinders in place against vthe housing' said turnbuckles being located substantially at the same radius from the axis oi the assembly as the compressor cylinder wall.

ANDREW KALITINSKY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent: l

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name l Date 1,938,451 Floyd et al Dee, 5, 1933 2,106,488 McCune Jan. 25, 1938 2,232,631 Renick Feb, 18, 1941 1,270,310 McWhorter June 25, 1918 1,277,779 Titus Sept. 3, 1918 1,836,189 Salisbury Dec. 15, 1931 1,897,674 Pescara Feb. 14, 1933 1,996,974 Pescara Apr, 9, 1935 2,076,258 Witkiewicz et al Apr. 6, 1937 2,086,163 Junkers July 6, 1937 2,382,598 Andresen Aug. 14, 1945 1,230,219 Reali June 19, 1917 1,757,215 Pescara May 6, 1930 

